Zenturo

Zenturo Ltd. is a Malta professional services firm that presents itself to the public under the name Malta Citizenship. Its office is in Santa Venera, a central town a few minutes by road from Valletta, and the firm has been operating on the island for more than twenty years. Its main work is guiding qualified applicants through Maltese residency and citizenship, but it also advises on property, company set-up and financial technology, so one team can cover most of what a relocation involves.

For a UK reader, the useful thing to know is that the routes have changed. Malta's former economic citizenship scheme was repealed in 2025 after a ruling of the EU Court of Justice, and the options now available are permanent residency, citizenship by merit and citizenship by ancestry. The firm is listed in our directory of immigration consultants in Malta, and our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK covers the everyday side of a move.

Who Zenturo is and how it is licensed

Zenturo's wider offer spans management consulting, global marketing and strategy, real estate investment and immigration law, and its technology-led approach is meant to keep services cost effective. The immigration team is led by a government-licensed attorney, Dr Alexei Dalli, who holds licence RES-DALI with the Residency Malta Agency, previously issued as AKM-DALI under the former agency name. The company is registered in Malta under number C-39472. Legal work is carried out either by licensed attorneys inside Zenturo or by independent law firms engaged under a separate agreement.

The website is available in English, Russian, Turkish and Chinese, and the team replies to enquiries by email, phone, chat, Zoom or in person. Its stated promise is a reply within one hour, day or night, with staff in Malta and in the United States. The site is also clear on what it will not do: asylum cases, tourist visas, passport renewals and job referrals fall outside its work.

Permanent residency and one-year residency

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme, known as the MPRP, is the firm's main residency route. The MPRP involves a one-time government contribution of €37,000, an administration fee of €60,000 and a philanthropic donation of €2,000, together with either a property purchase from €375,000 or a rental from €14,000 a year. That adds up to the headline figure of €99,000 plus fees and the property. There is no minimum stay in Malta, up to four generations can be included, and residents can travel across the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180.

A shorter alternative is the Global Residence Programme, a one-year residency listed from €15,000 plus fees and a property rental or purchase, with a minimum annual renewal cost of €24,000. EU nationals have a separate route for applying for Malta residency, and the firm handles that too. Timelines printed for the MPRP are around four weeks for temporary residence through the expedited option, or three to six months to approval by the standard route. No agent can guarantee approval of any Maltese application, a point the site makes in plain terms.

If you are weighing up what living in Malta would cost day to day and how the tax position looks, read our Malta tax guide for UK nationals alongside any advice from a licensed adviser. The firm itself recommends an independent tax specialist and offers introductions.

Citizenship by merit and citizenship by ancestry

Citizenship by Merit, or CBM, replaced the investment route. It is a discretionary grant for people whose contribution to Malta is exceptional, in areas such as innovation, science, culture, athletics, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. There is no fixed financial contribution, although donation or investment proposals can still be considered where they bring a lasting benefit to Malta. An applicant can file after eight months of residence status without living in Malta year-round, and the whole process is expected to take roughly 12 to 16 months.

The firm splits the work into stages: a proposal outline with anti-money-laundering screening, which takes about a week; a temporary residency application over two to three months; a due diligence stage of four to six months; a merit proposal prepared alongside it; and finally naturalisation, the oath and passport issue in one to two months. Family members who can be included are a spouse or long-term partner, minor children and financially dependent adult children under 29. Source of funds and wealth must be evidenced with documents such as audited statements, bank letters and contracts, and a file can be refused, or citizenship revoked after grant, for misrepresentation, adverse due diligence findings or failure to honour undertakings. Malta permits dual citizenship, although whether you may keep your present nationality depends on your home country's rules, so check locally.

Citizenship by ancestry suits people with Maltese roots, and many UK families have them. A Malta-born parent, grandparent or earlier ancestor may entitle you to citizenship by registration, with no financial requirement beyond government and document fees and no residence requirement. Timing runs from a few months, where the family records are complete, to a year or more when records must be searched across several generations.

Property, rentals and business support

Because residency and citizenship applications often hinge on a qualifying home, Zenturo also runs a property service for buyers and tenants in Malta and Gozo. It arranges viewings, private transport, document reviews and, for overseas buyers, a power of attorney so a purchase can be completed without travelling. Its guide notes that non-residents generally need an Acquisition of Immovable Property permit costing €233 outside designated areas, that purchase costs add roughly six to seven per cent, and that a preliminary agreement normally involves a 10% deposit. Contracts are in English, and the firm can steer you to property that meets residency standards, including Special Designated Areas.

On the rental side, foreigners can rent without restriction, that long lets usually bill water, electricity and TV separately, and that a deposit of one month's rent is customary. Inner Harbour towns such as Sliema, St Julian's and Msida are the favourites for people who work in Malta, while Gozo suits retirement and holiday breaks, as our Gozo guide shows.

Businesses are catered for as well. Zenturo's fintech practice supports blockchain and distributed ledger projects with company formation, bank accounts, exchange licence applications, token launches, whitepaper review, virtual financial asset agent services and anti-money-laundering compliance. For wider context, see our pages on financial services in Malta and the corporate tax structure in Malta, and note that CLA Malta is our featured partner for accountancy and company work.

Living in Malta and getting here

The site also gives a broad portrait of life on the islands that will be familiar to British readers: English is an official language, the legal system and schooling follow British lines, driving is on the left, and the population is about 588,000. More than four million tourists visited in 2025, most of them from the United Kingdom. Our about Malta page covers the same ground, and the Valletta guide is a good place to see the capital before you decide where to base yourself.

London is about three hours by air, and KM Malta Airlines, the successor to Air Malta, runs scheduled services alongside low-cost carriers; see our KM Malta Airlines page and flights from Heathrow to Malta. The ferry from Malta to Gozo takes about 30 minutes.

How to start

The usual first step is a free, non-binding assessment. Tell the firm which route interests you, your nationality and whether you have Maltese ancestors, and it will say honestly which option fits. Anyone travelling to Malta can ask for a meeting while they are on the island. Practical preparation helps: gather identity documents, proof of where your funds came from and, for ancestry claims, birth, marriage and citizenship records for each generation.

To begin, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Zenturo.